Late Night at MK (Last night) - not much open

[SqueakyMouse]

Words of warning: Dd and I decided to bop over to MK from Epcot last night, as MK was open until midnight. It was a typical Florida evening in June - meaning lightning in the distance but no real rain ever materializing. Arrived at MK around 9 PM to find only the right side of entry open. Bag check at the scanners was minimal but did slow down the lines. The "escape route" off Main Street was open already. Main Street was crowded with folks waiting for the parade, but we had no problem getting over to Pirates for our FPs. (BTW, most everything had late FPs available. We made ours during our ride over from Epcot.) Once off Main Street, things were quite calm and peaceful. We soon discovered why. Not much of anything was open. All outside rides had closed due to the earlier lightning. Space Mountain was down. All vending carts and smaller snack venues (such as Friar Nooks) were closed. After a couple of rides, Dd and I were desperate for a drink and possibly a snack; but the only places open (such as Cosmic Ray's) had huge lines. After about an hour of this, dd and I made a quick exit.

 

[MeganMango]

that's disappointing! Wonder why space mountain was closed...it's indoors

 

[Princess Kendra]

All outside rides had closed due to the earlier lightning. Space Mountain was down. All vending carts and smaller snack venues (such as Friar Nooks) were closed. After a couple of rides, Dd and I were desperate for a drink and possibly a snack; but the only places open (such as Cosmic Ray's) had huge lines. After about an hour of this, dd and I made a quick exit.

That's a bummer, but not much Disney can do if there's lightning in the area!

But you reminded me of our last trip when you mention the vending carts. It seemed like at Magic Kingdom all the vending carts closed as soon as the sun went down! There were several evenings where I was totally craving an ice cream or a churro, but couldn't find anything open, and we wanted to avoid the crowds on Main Street. Oh well, all those snack and ice cream carts being closed saved us some money, not to mention calories!

 

[yulilin3]

outdoor vending carts, be it food or merchandise, close due tol ightning in the area as well.
Make sure to check the times guide that shows what food establishments will be open late

 

[Quellman]

that's disappointing! Wonder why space mountain was closed...it's indoors

Could have been a maintenance or safety issue

 

[Princess Kendra]

outdoor vending carts, be it food or merchandise, close due tol ightning in the area as well.
Make sure to check the times guide that shows what food establishments will be open late

Maybe so, but there was certainly no lightning on my last trip when it seemed like all the outdoor vending carts closed after dark!

 

[Loopster]

Maybe so, but there was certainly no lightning on my last trip when it seemed like all the outdoor vending carts closed after dark!

Same with our trip!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I picked up a drink and some candy in Storybook Circus store in March for the same reason - the little vending carts were closed. I was glad that was open!
There were no storms in the area - I was thinking it was a cost saving measure.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Repeat last night (before the tragedy). This time of year, there seems to be some lightning every single night.

 

[aretha30]

This is very disappointing to hear. We love MK at night. I guess we will bring snacks and drinks with us in August.

 

[11290]

Repeat last night (before the tragedy). This time of year, there seems to be some lightning every single night.

Nothing at MK last night (Tuesday night) was down for lightning, before or after the situation at GF. No knowledge of the other parks though.

 

[mgpan]

Could have been a maintenance or safety issue

You are probably right. I've been tracking wait times fairly thoroughly for the past couple months and the waits for SM seem much longer than normal. Almost like they are only running one side even during the busiest times.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Space was down last Tuesday when we were there. We rode by on the TTA and the lights were on. It was kinda cool to see.